Gary Dufour

Adjunct Associate Professor Gary Dufour is affiliated with the Design School at The University of Western Australia, where he specializes in modern and contemporary art history with transnational focus on North America, Europe, and Australia. An internationally recognized curator and art historian, he serves as an Approved Valuer for the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program and holds Emeritus Directorship at SHEILA A Foundation for Women in Visual Art.

His educational background includes:

• Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University (awarded 1979)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) with Distinction from University of Regina (awarded 1976)

Dufour's research centers on 20th-21st century visual culture, with authoritative expertise on Jeff Wall, Guido Molinari, Lawrence Weiner, Max Pam, and Howard Taylor. His work critically examines photographic practices, abstract painting movements, and regional art ecosystems, particularly Australian and Canadian modernism. Current scholarship investigates the intersection of artistic process and cultural identity through artists' journals and archival materials.

His 2025 publications reveal three dominant research trajectories: geometric abstraction in Canadian modernism (Tousignant studies), Western Australian landscape narratives (Taylor projects), and conceptual text art documentation (Weiner research). These works demonstrate methodological consistency in contextualizing artists within broader socio-historical frameworks while emphasizing material production processes.

His sole scientific recognition is:

• Dr. K. David Edwards and Margery Edwards Charitable Trust curator-in-residence New York (2007)

Dufour supervised postgraduate students at UWA (2013-2018) while maintaining significant external collaborations. His consultancy portfolio includes major valuation projects for Bundanon Art Museum, City of Bunbury, and City of South Perth collections, alongside strategic placement of Howard Taylor's estate across national institutions. Current grant activities focus on securing institutional partnerships for the dispersal of 400+ artworks from the Taylor collection.

He actively contributes to sector development through SHEILA A Foundation for Women in Visual Art, Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, and Cruthers Collection of Women's Art, fostering networks that support underrepresented artists and advance curatorial scholarship in Australasia.